Mr. Jing and His Little Husband

Chapter 64

The village gathering

Butcher Chen, truly lived up to his reputation as the best pig slaughterer for miles around. The pigs didn’t suffer much, and both of them were slaughtered smoothly. Jing Yi paid him extra silver and didn’t let the butcher take the pigs remains when they were ready for the pot. This was too good to be wasted, and Jing Yi was reluctant to part with them.

After the lively pig slaughtering show was over, the villagers who had gathered to watch prepared to leave, happily anticipating going to the market to buy meat for their stews.

Jing Yi quickly stopped them and said, “Wait a moment, everyone. We slaughtered a pig today to celebrate together as a village. We’re going to stew the meat in the front yard soon. If you uncles and aunts from the village don’t mind, bring your bowls, and take a portion for your family to add to your New Year’s feasts. Taste the cooking of our house. Please don’t be shy!”

“Xiao Tao, you don’t need to be shy. What Jing Yi said is sincere. Make sure you come over later, and be sure to get some for Xiao He and Ah Zhi.” Xiao He and Ah Zhi were boys from Xiao Tao’s family.

“Other fellow villagers should come as well. Thanks for your care for our Jing family last year,” Father Jing also added. He encouraged everyone to come with their bowls.

“Hey! You’re putting us in a difficult spot by being so generous. But I’ll make sure to thank Brother Rong in advance when I come.”

“Mothe, I want meat! I want meat!”

“Father, you two shouldn’t feel embarrassed to go, I’ll bring my younger brother and sister and get some for ourselves.”

Everyone left in high spirits, although they said they felt embarrassed. They all planned on coming to get their share and didn’t want anyone else to snatch it away. The villagers were well aware of Jing’s family’s reputation for generosity and knew that their invitation was genuine. All they had to do was bring their bowls later.

This tradition had truly helped many struggling families in the village. For people who struggled to make ends meet throughout the year, the opportunity to have some meat for the New Year was something to look forward to.

Two pigs were slaughtered, and the back legs were divided: one went to Jing’s mother’s family, and one to the Lin family. This didn’t cause any issues. Jing Yi immediately arranged for Jing Renyi to drive a donkey cart to Xishan Village and Wangjia Village to deliver the meat.

Over the past two years, Jing’s family had provided goods to their mother’s family, Uncle Liu and Second Uncle Liu, so now they were all leading better lives.

Around 10:30 in the morning, both the front and main yards of Jing’s family were bustling with activity. In the front yard, they were preparing the meat stew for the villagers. It was similar to a rural version of red-cooked pork, as eating pork on the New Year’s symbolized wealth and prosperity for the coming year.

However, the authentic red-cooked pork dish was quite luxurious, involving a lot of oil and sugar, which most poor farm families wouldn’t make, even if they could afford it. Cooking at home required a large quantity of valuable oil and sugar, so most rural families prepared a simpler stew, which was still satisfying.

What Jing’s family prepared wasn’t the traditional red-cooked pork nor the simpler stew, but rather something in between. Because it was cooked in a large pot and served to the entire village, Jing Yi had enlisted the help of steward Tong, and two young and strong men to cut the pork into finger-sized rectangular pieces. They had cut a whole pig, and Jing Yi calculated it would be enough for everyone in the village to have a bowl. Cutting extra wouldn’t be a problem as the weather in December acted as a natural refrigerator, keeping the meat fresh.

With so much meat, the pots at home weren’t enough. Jing Yi borrowed the village’s large iron pot, which was used for big occasions in the village, and it was said that it was commissioned with money by a high-ranking official who had fallen from grace.

Jing Yi estimated that even with this pot, they’d need to use two to accommodate everything. After cleaning the pot, he filled it with cold water and the freshly cut pork, which he then removed after a joss stick’s worth of time, setting it aside.

The men sat at two large tables, while the gers, women, and children sat at three tables. Even before the dishes were served, they began chatting with the melons and tea already on the tables. It was lively, and some of the rambunctious kids were already running around the place.

When Jing Yi, Chuixi, and others brought all the dishes to the tables, the New Year’s pig feast officially began. As the current head of the Jing family, Father Jing stood up and said a few words to the crowd.

Father Jing, with a red face, said, “I hope for favorable winds and abundant rain next year, may the heavens bless us with food. I also hope that next year, we’ll all be happy without any worries!”

After he couldn’t come up with more words, he noticed Jing Cheng, the son of the village chief, sitting at the neighboring table. He had an idea and said, “Let’s not talk too much; let’s eat quickly. You can see that even Xiao Cheng is hungry. We don’t want the children to go hungry.”

But this time, Father Jing had made the wrong excuse. He heard Xiao Cheng, who was sitting upright at the next table, say solemnly, “I’m not hungry, Big Brother Rong. Please continue.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

This witty remark brought down the house, and even Father Jing had to sit down awkwardly. The lunch started on a somewhat awkward note, but it soon turned into a joyous and lively atmosphere. Everyone raised their glasses, and it was a happy time.

Jing’s family didn’t bother with the traditional service, as they served the food and then let Chuixi and the others join the festivities in the front yard. They also set up a large table there for everyone to enjoy together.

Today’s menu was quite rich, and Chuixa pulled out all the stops.

The main course was a pork bone stew, featuring large ribs, spare ribs, pork cartilage, and even pig’s blood, all cooked with Chinese cabbage. Each table had a large pot, with a small charcoal burner below to keep it simmering gently, producing an enticing aroma. It was a delight to gnaw on the bones.

Other dishes were also centered around pork: red-cooked pork, braised pork belly, lion’s head meatballs, fried pork slices, stir-fried fatty intestines, and minced meat stewed with eggs. Even the vegetarian dishes included pork: green beans cooked with pork and potato slices stir-fried with pork. They even served a soup with radish and meatballs.

It was indeed a feast centered around the Year of the Pig, with plenty of food in large bowls and pots, without skimping on anything.

During the meal, the Meng family, the Zhang family, and the Luo Wei family all expressed their gratitude with a toast to Jing Yi. With so many people at the table, it wasn’t convenient to say much. They all raised their glasses and drank, and it was an atmosphere of joy.

Jing Yi and his family had helped these families to earn quite a bit in the last two years. The Zhang family, in particular, had been benefiting from the business; Jing’s family purchased most of carpenter Zhang’s goods in the town and occasionally referred business to him.

The Meng family made the most, with both goat milk and dairy products. They were doing well, planning to build a new house in the spring, as their children were coming one after another, and their current residence would be too small.

Talking about this, Uncle Meng’s face had more creases, and he was smiling even more broadly.

Now let’s talk about the Luo Wei family. Don’t underestimate their small pickle business; they were making money too. Later on, they expanded the variety of pickled vegetables, and they were quite popular in the small restaurants and hot pot shops. Now, the monthly net profit was at least seven to eight taels of silver.

This was something they wouldn’t even dare to imagine before. They remembered that two years ago, they were worrying about where the next meal would come from every day. They used to be at the bottom of the village’s social hierarchy, but now, as they got closer to the Jing family, they earned money and gained more confidence. They had even said that once they got rich, they wouldn’t care about the lives of the villagers anymore.

After Jing Yi learned about this, he confronted those people and rebuked them with both threats and intimidation. He warned them to come directly to him if they had any issues. If he found out that someone was preventing his parents from enjoying their hard-earned prosperity, it wouldn’t be the end of it.